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Festival of Sharing has been long time supporters of international and domestic agencies who are working to equip, encourage, and empower individuals and communities through sustainable tools. Sometimes that is through education like how Rainbow Network partners with communities to provide primary and secondary education. Sometimes it’s through advocacy like how Bread for the World addresses policies that impact hunger and nutrition. It’s also through actions like disaster response where Church World Service sends blankets and emergency clean-up buckets as well as training like Heifer International provides to entrepreneurs across the globe. No matter the approach, we appreciate the work these agencies engage in as they work to reduce poverty and hunger, increase access to fresh water and nutritious foods, and share the love of God through dignity and empowerment. 
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MFAF serves and empowers Missouri's migrant and seasonal farmworkers. MFAF's staff meet with workers and their families when they first arrive at the orchards in late summer to welcome them, deliver food bags and hygiene kits, determine needs for medical and dental services and complete school enrollment forms. From then until the workers migrate to their next work location, MFAF seeks to meet critical needs with visits to the orchard labor camps. For the families who have settled in the area, year-round assistance is provided. Items that are especially appreciated are blankets, sweaters and jackets, white rice (not instant), sunscreen (SPF30+), bandanas and Spanish language children's books. We greatly appreciate your support as we work to keep our events safe! Please check our website and Facebook for the most up-to-date information.
September 11th, 2021 Northeast Region- Macon UMC Donation drop-off: 9:30-11:30 AM West Region (KC Area)- St. James UMC (Paseo Campus) Donation drop-off: 9:30-11:30 AM September 18th, 2021 Southwest Region- Hood UMC Donation drop-off: 9:30-11:30 AM September 25th, 2021 Central Region- Tipton UMC Donation drop-off: 9:30-11:30 AM New date alert! October 2nd, 2021 Southeast Region- FUMC of Dexter Donation drop-off: 9:30-11 AM October 2nd, 2021 Northwest Region- Cameron UMC Donation drop-off: 9:30-11:30 AM October 9th, 2021 East Region (STL Area)- LifeWise StL Donation drop-off: 9:30-11:30 AM
Asset based community development is a strategy that builds on the assets found in communities and mobilizes individuals, associations, and institutions to come together to realize and develop their strengths. The premise is that communities can drive the development process themselves and thus respond to and create local economic opportunity. The process includes identifying the assets of individuals, associations, and institutions. Those individual assets are then matched with people or groups who are interested or in need in that area. Some of the guiding principles in this practice are acknowledging everyone has gifts, relationships build a community, listening conversation, and citizens at the center. This topic closely relates to a previous term we defined, social capital. ABCD has a core focus on social relationships. The formal and informal networks and associations are a means to mobilize other assets in the community.   The mission of Douglass Community Services is to be a trusted partner in building stronger kids, stronger families and stronger communities throughout Northeast Missouri. In 2020, the Food Pantry provided 48% more food than in 2019. We saw a 25% increase in clients. 45% of the food provided was fruits, vegetables, or proteins and 90,311 meals were served to youth. Douglass Community Service is honored to be on the frontlines fighting hunger in our community. Other services offered by Douglass Community Services are a Head Start/ Early Head Start learning program, Kids in Motion (a youth pre-employment/service-learning program), and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
 Dignity affirms that a person has the right to be valued and respected, and to be treated ethically. How can we uphold this in mission and service work? This takes conscious action on our part to evaluate the programs, services, and language we use. You might have heard before the difference of a “hand up” and a “hand out.” There is value in addressing the immediate needs of a human being, providing them food, water, clothing, or shelter. Jesus provided many healing ministries to people and we celebrate the opportunity to do so for our siblings in Christ. Once the immediate need is met, the next step should be working together with that person to see what their goals or desires are for the longer term. If they are unhoused, maybe they need help getting connected to an organization that has a work exchange program. Or if they are unemployed, maybe they could use support in terms of job skills training or resume writing. There are a variety of ways to show support and encouragement to someone using their own skills and abilities coupled with access to resources. Ultimately, our words and actions in mission and service work should uplift people through recognizing and building upon their gifts and talents.
*Story also featured on page 21 of the June 2021 Missouri Methodist magazine.
Responding to concerns of hunger and poverty has been a long-time commitment of Festival of Sharing. The response has taken many forms throughout the years- from dividing bulk rice and beans and filling family food boxes to packing meals for Rise Against Hunger and raising money for farm animals through Heifer International. As we recognize the various ways hunger and food insecurity impact communities in Missouri and beyond, we are called to opportunities for growth and development in our responses. This spring, Festival of Sharing invited agency partners in Missouri to apply for Growing Access Grants. The funds aim to support projects, programs, or services that address hunger, food insecurity, or nutrition. Many great applications were received and respond to local needs through education, hands on experiences, and expanding nutritional options. A total of $6,400 was distributed across 9 agencies serving various populations across Missouri. The awardees include Food for Morgan County, Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund, Christos Center, Hillsboro Food pantry, Cornerstones of Care (KC), Loaves and Fishes of Maries County, Whole Health Outreach, Victory Mission, and LifeWise StL. Festival of Sharing is excited for the recipients. They are passionate about community members of all ages having access to nourishing food. They demonstrate how education can be more than knowledge; it’s empowerment and inspiration. They are investing in their communities and we are honored to provide support and encouragement for their work. The programs range from teen cooking classes and mobile food pantries to container gardening, increasing protein intake for elderly, and supporting the nutrition of at-risk teens. A partnership with MU Extension will provide a diabetes self-management class, local pork will be distributed, and low-income families will be led through self-sufficiency activities. Scott Walker, President/CEO of LifeWise StL, expressed gratitude for the funds to help supply food to their families. "It will be used to buy fresh produce. We strive to give our participants access to healthy and fresh food options which tend to be more expensive than canned food (high salt content) and other processed food options. We value the partnership with Festival of Sharing and appreciate the work you do.” We are hopeful the opportunity will present itself to offer the Growing Access Grants again next spring. Most of our in-kind gifts are shared with agencies through the Sharefests in the fall. We are grateful for the monetary donations received throughout the year helping us to extend this supplemental gift to the agencies this spring. For those interested in supporting this response, checks can be written to MOAC with Festival of Sharing- Missouri Hunger in the memo line. They can be mailed to Festival of Sharing, 3601 Amron Court, Columbia, MO 65202.  It’s time for our May Agency Highlight! This time we’re cruising down to the lake area for Share the Harvest Food Pantry and Clothes Closet in Camdenton. About 17 years ago a group of volunteers noticed a need for food for youth and their families, thus the pantry began as a small operation. As the pantry grew, the decision was made to add the thrift store to help sustain the pantry resources. The pantry also has a garden on site that brings fresh produce to families and they provide financial assistance for a variety of needs like medical or electric bills. During the pandemic, the number of neighbors they serve stayed about the same and decreased slightly in the summer as other local organizations offered services and resources. Share the Harvest really appreciates the blankets and dental kits- especially during flu season and the pandemic.
This year we’ve highlighted a variety of terms connected with poverty and development work. We thought it might be helpful to take a moment and recap what we’ve learned. January highlighted adverse childhood experiences (ACE) which are potentially stressful or traumatic events in childhood, such as abuse or neglect. ACEs impact children’s development, physical health, and ability to form healthy and stable relationships. ACESs are preventable through actions that strengthen economic support to families, promote social norms that protect against violence, connecting youth to caring adults, and more. February covered social capital, or the functioning of social groups through interpersonal relationships, shared sense of identity and understanding, and shared trust and cooperation. Social capital is a positive asset that every community has and can be used to strengthen resources and opportunities. These two terms reflect the different impacts relationships can have on our well-being and way we live and work in society. In March we discussed housing cost burden, which is when someone spends more than 30% of their income on housing costs. If they spend more than 50% of income, that person is severely cost burdened. This is important in Missouri because of the number of households renting (33.2% of Missouri households) with an average rental cost on a 2-bedroom apartment ranging from $646-953. In April we reviewed asset poverty, or a household’s inability to access wealth resources that are sufficient to provide for basic needs for a period of three months. And then in May we defined living wage as the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs (needs include food, housing, and other essentials such as clothing). If we think about the relationship of concepts like housing cost burden, asset poverty, and living wage, we start to uncover the complexities of poverty that make it challenging to overcome. We hope that through reviewing definitions and concepts, we can start to recognize connections and opportunities to make a difference in our communities. |
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September 2021
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